I am all about making dinner as easy as possible. Marinade the chicken during naptime, prep the sauce and veggies while the kids are eating dinner, then you just have to cook the chicken once they go to bed. Now you're looking at a delicious date-at-home in peace and quiet. You're welcome.
Mediterranean Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Serves: 4
Serves: 4
Adapted from Eating Well
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (for me, this was 3 large breasts)
1/2 cup water
4 pita breads, warmed in the oven
Shredded green leaf or romaine lettuce
Halved cherry tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
For the Cucumber Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup shredded English cucumber
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
Dried dill, to taste
Lemon pepper*, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Whisk together zest and juice of lemon, oregano, salt, allspice, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Score the chicken in a cross-hatch pattern and place in a resealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
When you're ready to make dinner, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook chicken for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Pour water into skillet and scrape with a whisk to deglaze the pan. Pop pan in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. (Add additional water while cooking if the pan gets too dry.) Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly and return to pan. Toss chicken with remaining sauce in pan.
Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Serve chicken with pita, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Top with cucumber yogurt sauce.
*I meant to add about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to this recipe, but my lemon was a dud. So I made due with lemon pepper, and it was delish!
